Question about the differences among the Bird-X Products besides the colors.

Q: "What differences are there among the Yard Gard, Deer Gard and Balcony Gard products? All three look the same to me except for the colors. I want to get rid of pest birds. Thanks. Tim."

Answer: The YardGard Electronic Animal Repeller and BirdX DEERGARD Electronic Deer Repeller have identical controls on the back. All three will get rid of pest birds. Only the color differs. The green is less obvious when nestled among green plants. The brown is barely noticeable when mounted on trees. Remember if you use these products to keep animals away from bird feeders that you must distance them from the feeders. Many people use them as a perimeter boundary, i.e. they mount them on the trees facing away from their yards at a distance from feeders. If you place the units near bird feeders, you will scare awy the birds, too!

The Balcony Gard is a light beige color, less obvious for mounting on balconies of apartments, condos, etc. This is used primarily to get rid of birds from balconies, decks, etc. You can also change the settings to keep small animals away.

All three units can be set to repel birds, small animals and deer. All three units can be run continuously off AC power or can be set on motion sensor only to run from C batteries, not included.

Caution: these units should not be placed so that the sounds are directed at people. The best results for all the units is to use them with other types of pest repellent products. For example, add holographic ribbon or a Terror Eyes balloon to your Balcony Gard for better bird repeller results.

Q: "I am looking for an expandable pet gate for small dogs that I can move from area to area of my house. Some areas that will need spanned are larger. Will this gate meet my needs? How large can I make it? Is is hard to move? I have two Chihuahuas. They are not jumpers What are the options? Thanks. Sheila.

Answer: This is a quality wooden gate made for Cardinal Gates for small dogs, small puppies and non-jumping dogs. The small dog gate is 20 inches tall, 1 inch thick and has bar spacings of 2.25 inches. The gate fits openings from 28 inches to 51.75 inches. Each gate extension adds 22.25 inches of width to the Step Over Gate. Each extension comes with one 'foot' piece. Each foot fits securely over the gate and has rubber feet to avoid harming floors. Add as many extensions as you like for a very long gate. The pet gate is easily moved. The basic gate expands and weighs about 6 lbs. Each extension weighs just under 5 pounds.

The gate and extensions come in several colors. All gates and extensions and foot pieces are made of hard wood.

Do remember this is a free-standing gate with wide feet pieces. This is NOT a child safety gate or a gate for small jumping dogs. For example, a Boston Terrier coudl easily jump this gate as well as one that is 4 feet tall if he or she had a running start or desire.

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Q:"How does the Nite-Guard work? How many do I need to protect my yard from raccoons? Do I need to mount them differently for deer?" Thanks. George

Answer: The Nite-Guard Solar is a new addition to animal control products. Solar powered, each Nite-Guard light flashes a red light on and off from dusk to dawn. Scientific research shows that night animals flee when they see the red flashing light as they fear they have been discovered or are being watched. This completely weatherproof animal pest repeller works best if used in multiples of at least 4 units. Otherwise the animal most likely will enter your yard or property from a direction away from the flashing red. Each light mounts to flash in only one direction with an approximate 30 degree angle of sight as one moves right or left away from it. This is why multiple units are needed and spacing between lights is needed as well.

If mounted high, the light can be seen for a long distance, depending on the lay of the land. A flat, open area with four Nite Guards placed at 10’ for owls will protect an area 1/2 mile in each direction. Even at 3 feet off the ground a range of several hundred yards' protection is common. A night predator stops the instant he sees the flash. So mount lights according to what you want to keep away. Deer will respond to higher lights than bobcats, raccoons, etc.

For small predators, these are the manufacturer's installation instructions:

For predators like raccoon, opossum and skunk; put lights approximately 25 feet apart, around your entire perimeter (all four sides of the area) and place them eye level to the predators approximately 10-12 inches off the ground. If the area has sides longer than 50 feet, more lights should be used on each side. Face lights outward from protected area.

For deer, these are the installation instructions:

1. Four Nite Guard lights placed on a single stake 4 feet high, each light facing a different direction. Moving the Nite Guard lights and stake every 7 to 10 days is absolutely critical as it breaks the pattern that deer may get used to. You do not have to move them far, 20 or 30 feet is fine, more is better. If you do not move the post with the lights around the deer will begin to “pattern” them in the exact position night after night, thusly losing fear of the flash.

NOTE: Deer are perhaps the most destructive nocturnal animal in modern times, they are also the most intelligent. Deer are very hard to deter from an area and, with the exception of the Nite Guard, will ignore most attempts to stop them from getting at the food that they want. The also act differently than a predator type animal and so we need to approach the placement of the lights differently.

2. You could also use a perimeter type placement against deer, placing lights 100 feet apart and approx. 4 feet high. Again, you will need to move the lights around every 3-10 days to break the pattern. Suggestion: Use the Nite Guard in conjunction with some of the other “weapons” they may already have in their “arsenal” against deer. Most people with deer problems are very well away of the deer’s intelligence and know that they get used to things easily. Use the Nite Guard lights along with some type of “repellant spray”. The deer then will not only “see” the predator (the flash of the light), but they will also “smell” the predator. This can be a very powerful deterrent for those deer that seem impossible to repel. You will be able to outsmart deer and protect your gardens and crops with the Nite Guards!